Candlelight
by Resa Aureus
Summary: After a gala, Hermione finds herself humiliated and hurt because of her boyfriend and his past. One-shot.


A/N. I wrote this a long while ago for a different fanfiction website (one I no longer use because their admins were ridiculous and biased and had a problem with the work fuck) and it's one of my first fanfictions, so it is a little different from my current writing style.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

...~oOo~...

Hermione Granger lounged on the black, velvet couch in the library, her red gown feeling heavy on top of her and the corset of it pulled tight. Her hair was falling from its up-do and all her lipstick had rubbed off. Exhausted, she replayed the events of the evening over and over. She officially decided that she hated galas and if her boyfriend ever made her go to one again that she'd throw a tantrum and hex him into the next century.

The library was quiet and the fireplace was the only thing giving off light apart from the big picture window that filtered in moonlight. Staring off into space, so considered opening the window and climbing down the side of the manor to escape for the night and only return once the sun started rising. Just so she could remember what it was like to live on the edge and not necessarily do what is required of her.

With a heavy sigh, she propped her head up on her hand and kicked off her ghastly shoes. She knew she was going to fall asleep on that couch. Many a night she would doze off in the middle of reading a favorite book, but wake up in her bed. This time, though, she doubted she'd wake up somewhere any different, because of the massive fight her boyfriend and she had.

Just as she was closing her eyes for the night, she heard his voice.

"Hermione," he said with no specific emotion in his voice.

Hermione said nothing in return. She continued staring out the picture window.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

Still she said nothing.

"So the silent treatment it is, eh?" he said, his voice getting terse. "Fine. I always thought girls wanted to talk and be emotional and to have conversations, but apparently you're not the usual girl. You never have been, of course." He walked over, lifted her legs, sat on the couch, and placed them back on his lap. He waited for a response. "A one-sided conversation it is, then. You were wildly over-exaggerating this evening and now Rita Skeeter is going to have a fucking field day and it really, truly, most sincerely is your fault, you know and –"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, this is not my fault!" Hermione finally snapped, scowling darkly at him. "If anything, I am completely innocent and you, you foul, loathsome –"

" – evil, little cockroach. Yes, yes, I've heard it all before. Now why don't you put your wand to my throat then break my nose and it will really be like old times."

She paused for a long time and finally sighed. "You slept with her…with Pansy…Not only her, but Astoria…and Ramilda Vane…"

"Darling, I slept with most of the girls in our year," he said with a shrug.

"Oh, so that makes it okay?" Hermione exclaimed, tossing her arms up. She lifted her silk gloves off her lap and threw them at his face. "You git! What if I decided to just suddenly decided to tell you that I slept with all the Gryffindor boys! Or Blaise!"

"It's not my fault that all my past romantic interests bombarded us at the gala," he said with a heavy huff of air.

Rubbing her forehead, she replied, "What if I, out of nowhere, said, 'Oh, yes, Draco, darling, I forgot to tell you, but I shagged Ron when we were together'?"

There was a long, drawn out silence.

"Did you?" he said with a growl. "Because, I swear, I _will _kill him, Hermione."

"See! You're so…ugh!" She pulled her legs from his lap and held them to her chest, the pressure forcing more of her breasts up from her dangerously low neckline. "It's like if I'm jealous, then I'm being a stupid, overreacting girl, but if you're jealous then it's perfectly justified! I'm feeling a double standard here! And it's not as if you have a reason to be possessive," she added, her cheeks burning with anger, the blood boiling just below her skin. "We both know that us being together is purely convenient and –"

"Convenience?" Draco hissed and terror rolled down Hermione's spine. He sounded so…cold. "Is that why we're together? Is that why you're with me, because you're up for a new position in the ministry? Is our relationship just politics for you?"

"Oh, don't you lie, Malfoy!" she growled. "I was talking about _you_. _You_ were being considered for a top job in the Department of Mysteries when we got together! _You're_ the one who needed a piece of the Golden Trio to boost your status above ex-deatheater! And all the while, I didn't even have the will to decline even though I knew all of this because I'm so damned…" Tears formed in her eyes. Her sentence trailed off and she dropped her face into her knees, not caring about her eye make-up probably ruining her very expensive gown.

There was another immeasurable silence between them. It could have been seconds and it could have been hours, but Hermione cried quietly while Draco Malfoy processed what she'd said.

"You mean to say…" he finally said and this time he spoke softly with anger and disbelief, "you've been dating me for _four months_ with the belief that I had no feelings for you? Lived with me, thinking I was using you? Fought and made love with me while thinking that you were just a pawn in my diabolical scheme to rise to the top of the business ladder?"

With a sniffle, Hermione replied, "Well…yes."

"Merlin, Hermione. Who knew the Brains of the Golden Trio was so stupid?" he said, incredulous and with a hard laugh.

"Hey!"

"All of that, really? And you stayed with me thinking that?" he asked again, a kind of amused smirk forming on his face. "Blymey, am I _that_ good of a shag?"

Hermione kicked him, but lightly as the tension between them broke and they both broke out with fits of laughter. Shaking her head and laughing, she pushed back falling curls and decided, fuck it, and she was taking down the ridiculous hairstyle. She began yanking out pins.

"Here, let me help," Draco said with an easy smile, standing up and scooting behind Hermione so she was lounging between his legs with her back against his chest as he picked at all the pins holding up her thick, wildly curly hair. "Where did you get the idea that I was using you? Ginny Weasley?" he asked.

"No, not really," Hermione explained. "I just…There just didn't seem to be a logical reason that Slytherin sex god, Hogwarts number one bully, the Wizarding World's playboy would want to go out with a nerdy bookworm like me. So…I convinced myself that I was convenient and just pushed through it. I mean, you were getting so much positive press and I didn't want to ruin it because…I…I…just…want you to be successful."

"You're so much more than a bookworm, love," he said gently, feeling her soft hair through his fingers. "You're more than just the Gryffindor princess, too. You are the smartest, most beautiful, breathtaking, mind-blowing witch or muggle I have ever met."

Hermione snuggled deeper into his chest and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

"I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression these last few months."

Hermione turned her head enough to look up into Draco's storm-cloud grey eyes. They stared into one another's eyes for a long moment before Draco's eyes dropped and became very focused of Hermione's perfect, pink lips. He leaned forward until their lips touched, very tenderly.

The kiss grew deeper, harder, and eventually became frantic. Draco gripped Hermione's waist to turn her over to face his better without straining their necks and they latched onto one another instantly, they bodies intertwining. Draco nibbled on her bottom lip gently and then sucked her upper lip into his mouth.

With quick fingers, Draco reached behind his girl and untied and unlaced her corset. With a hard yank down, Hermione's torso was all at once completely exposed and very, very cold. Gooseflesh broke out over her body and she gasped in discomfort before Draco took her naked waist in her hands and tossed her down onto her back, his mouth roaming south below her ear, and then tracing his tongue and teeth down her throat, lingering on the very soft and vulnerable skin just above her raging pulse. With his hands he tore the rest of the heavy dress off her legs and dropped it to the floor. His breath came faster at the sight of Hermione completely nude apart from very thin, lacy black panties, frilly garter and matching stockings, complete with garter belt.

"Jesus Christ," he murmured in rapture. "When the bloody hell did you get those?" he asked, pointing to the stocking set up.

"Ginny. It was for my birthday."

He froze. "…Your birthday isn't for another two days."

Hermione admitted, "It was actually last weekend." She wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him down to crush her mouth to his. "Don't worry about it." She kissed his jaw and his neck.

"I'm the world's worst boyfriend," he confessed sourly.

"No, love," she murmured, "according to Pansy, Ronald is."

Draco considered this briefly. "Probably. But I'm only picking up your gift tomorrow and the date has already passed and –"

"Draco. Malfoy." She took him by the collar and dragged him closer to her. "Quit the ranting. I am lying here naked and you're worried about my gift? Seriously, Draco. Make love to your girlfriend and worry about missing her birthday later."

Draco Malfoy was more than happy to oblige.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Would you want this to become a full story? 2. Favorite part and line? 3. Any ideas on how this would progress as a story?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~


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